Sorting Out Their Best Spot Is Tough

Baseball scouts are hired to make definitive judgments on whether a top high school prospect projects as a hitter or pitcher at the next level.

The task isn’t easy, especially trying to separate members of this year’s junior class that is filled with outstanding two-way players.

Who’s bold enough to predict whether Jason Corder of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley will be a pitcher or hitter at a higher level? The same goes for Trevor Plouffe of Encino Crespi, Jared Clark of Valencia, Andy Beal of Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, Sean Rooney of Anaheim Esperanza and Jason Dominguez of Chatsworth, all of whom have powerful arms and bats.

But the best junior of all, and the one who could create the most passionate debate among scouts, is 6-foot-4, 200-pound Mark Trumbo of Villa Park.

He was the Southern Section Division II player of the year as a sophomore after batting .391 with seven home runs and 41 runs batted in. As a pitcher, he was 7-1 with a 1.68 earned-run average. He has already committed to USC.

He looks like a clone of Troy Glaus. He hits balls over the left-field fence at Villa Park so frequently that members of the girls’ soccer team might have to start wearing helmets during their practices.

On the mound, Trumbo was clocked in the off-season throwing 93 mph. That kind of velocity, if it can be sustained, could make him a dominant right-handed pitcher.

Trumbo is also a slick-fielding third baseman, which only adds to the intrigue: Is he a better pitcher or hitter?

“It would be wrong to shut out something that you might have a future in,” he said. “I’ll probably need help deciding. I like to do both.”

Two-way players -- those who can play a field position when they’re not pitching -- are plentiful in high school. They are rare in college and don’t exist in the major leagues.

And it’s up to scouts to determine which position players should focus on.

“It’s a crapshoot,” said Bill Hughes, the West Coast scouting coordinator for the Colorado Rockies. “In high school, they should do everything. I like to see kids be as versatile as they can, but eventually, they’re going to have to choose.”

Hughes said there’s a formula for evaluating players. Current skills are factored in, along with projected body strength and size, the ease with which a player can hit or pitch and “where they’re going to top out at.”

Last June, the Dodgers gave a $1.5-million signing bonus to first-round draft pick James Loney, a left-handed high school senior from Texas.

He was 9-1 as a pitcher and hit .509 as a first baseman. Scouts were divided on whether he should pitch or hit. The Dodgers made him a hitter, and Loney batted .371 in 47 games for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers.

“What it comes down to is which do you think he’s best at, and to me he was a hitter,” said Logan White, the Dodgers’ scouting director. “Do you want Shawn Green or Odalis Perez? That’s always the call [we’re] trying to figure out.”

The No. 1 senior in Southern California this season is Camarillo’s Delmon Young, another two-way player. Despite his strong arm, Young figures to be drafted for his hitting ability because he has demonstrated he can hit all types of pitching.

One of the top sophomores is Trevor Bell of Crescenta Valley, another player who has distinguished himself as a pitcher and hitter.

White points out if a player starts out as a hitter and fails, he can always be converted into a pitcher.

Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres started out as a shortstop before becoming one of baseball’s best closers. It’s rare to turn a pitcher into a hitter in the majors.

Trumbo already has fulfilled one childhood dream by pitching at Edison Field in last year’s Division II final.

“It’s kind of overwhelming at times,” he said. “That’s the maximum amount of pressure you’re going to face in high school, and now I can tell myself I can pretty much handle anything.”

Trumbo is still learning the techniques and strategies for succeeding as a pitcher.

“On the mound, you can’t be a nice guy,” he said. “Nice guys don’t come in first. You have to go for the throat -- have strong determination. I try to be a fierce competitor.”

In a year’s time, Trumbo went from an unknown talent to player of the year on the Division II championship team. He appears stronger, wiser and equally motivated for his junior season.

Still to be answered is whether he’s a better pitcher or hitter. Stay tuned.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.